Last week, we lost a friend. So, I took a week off to comfort those affected. It was…a pretty devastating and unexpected loss. We're all doing better, but it still feels weird.
I went home this weekend to clear my head- my folks nowadays are a bit more 'chill', so they sort of could tell something was off but didn't press me for it. I hung out with a buddy of mine to take my mind off the situation. All it cost me was losing multiple games of Pool.
It's just…still a lot to take in. Nothing feels real. My friend loved wrestling and wanted to be one. They loved Salem from RWBY. They loved Charmcaster especially. They had a crush on Grey from Fairy Tail. They had a bunch of fun OCs. And they're gone.
…It really hasn't been a good few weeks.
I hope you all understand why we went radio silent for a week. Again, apologies, especially when Gems and Carry On are both in some serious arcs right now, but my feelings and emotions take priority.
Thank you.
Here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Penny blinked and started to get back to her feet, her assailant now revealed to all of the Outcasts with a little bit of back up. Not entirely surprising that traitor had some friends to help out, but the fact Harper decided to bring in mechs did surprise the Protector of Mantle a bit.
"You!" Ruby growled, taking a step forward and readying her scythe for action.
"Yes, me," Harper smirked. "I hope you don't mind the mess. It's been quite hectic around here ever since you all arrived..."
"What do you want?" Weiss demanded, her sword glowing with ice Dust.
"Oh, nothing much," Harper shrugged. "Just a little chat, perhaps. I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement."
"An agreement?" Yang scoffed.
"I'm not a sociopath like our...mutual orange and green friends," Harper began, "You've all acted in the best interests of Atlas, haven't you? Then help me and Thornmane. Help us overthrow Ironwood."
"Best intres-" Weiss began, absolutely offended by that brazen lie, "You caused chaos around the entire kingdom! Settlements were destroyed and ravaged, people lost their lives, their homes, their loved ones! All because Thornmane failed an exam?!"
"I would expect no less from Ironwood's daughter. Rejection isn't what drives him. He sees the hypocrisy Ironwood embodies and he wishes to purge it from our kingdom before our 'great general' does something we'll all regret. I may have had my doubts about the general, but I lived with them, because I thought nothing could be done. When he showed me Arrowfell...I realized he stood a chance. Locus, Felix, Glass, Fiefstone, the Keepers of Arrowfell, even I had a part to play and we performed admirably. I grieve for the people we've hurt, I truly do, but sometimes...the greatest changes require the most dire of sacrifices."
Weiss shook her head. "I'll never help you overthrow my father or let you justify the atrocities you and Thornmane have committed in the name of some delusional idea of 'change'!"
Harper sighed, disappointment written all over her face. "I'd hoped you would see reason, Weiss. But it seems you're just as blinded by your loyalty to Ironwood as he is to his own ideals."
"I'm not blinded by loyalty," Weiss replied, "I'm driven by a sense of duty to protect the people of Atlas and uphold the values that our kingdom was founded upon!"
"Despite the fact that Atlas has its issues?" Harper countered.
"Ok, so maybe Atlas isn't perfect," the heiress admitted, "But that doesn't mean we should throw away everything that makes our kingdom great and just for the sake of some misguided idea of change!"
Harper scoffed. "Misguided? You think that trying to change the system that has oppressed the Faunus and perpetuated inequality is misguided? That's exactly what Thornmane is fighting against! Ironwood's vision for Atlas is one of control and domination, not justice and equality. That's his Mettle at work..."
"Mettle?" Ruby asked.
"He's never told you about his Semblance?" Harper countered. "...that tracks."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"Mettle...his Semblance. It's a passive one. He doesn't really mention it." Weiss explained. "It strengthens his resolve, allows him to carry through with his decisions, and helps him hyper-focus."
"It's a poison on Atlas." Harper declared.
"A poison?" Blake asked, "What do you mean?"
"His Semblance amplifies his worst tendencies," Harper elaborated, "His stubbornness, his obsession with control and order. It's why he's so convinced that his way is the only way, and why he's willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. It's what makes him dangerous."
"So you're blaming Ironwood...for something that he can't even control?" Yang asked, "Yeah, that makes sense. Completely agree with you there!"
"Mock me all you want," Harper said, readying her vambraces, "I won't let him destroy my home just so he can say he's on the moral high ground."
Blake didn't show it, but with what Weiss explained about the ability, so much more of what she, Yang, and the others found made more sense. But at the same time, it did bring up an interesting question about those dirty little secrets.
If Ironwood's Semblance was passive, then maybe there were some regrets he carried. As big of a betrayal of trust as those contingency files were, maybe the general actually hates that he has them.
"And I won't let you destroy my home for the same reason," Weiss said, readying her rapier.
"We can't," Yaz reasoned.
"You have five seconds to give me a very good reason."
"Thornmane. If we put all of our effort into fighting her..."
"Then Thornmane could get away," Kylie finished.
"Exactly. I'm not saying we don't fight her...I'm saying not all of us have to. I'll give you a diversion, you can split the group there," Yaz said as she slowly reached for something on her belt.
After a tense moment of silence, Weiss nodded, understanding the plan. "Alright, we'll trust you on this, Yaz. But remember, we're not letting Thornmane escape."
Yaz nodded back, her hand still on the object on her belt. "I won't let her get away. Just be ready to move when I give the signal..."
"What's the signal?" Ben asked.
"This." Yaz whipped out her gun.
As Yaz's shot rang out, Harper quickly took cover behind one of the massive mechs, returning fire with her own weapons. Blake, Yang, Yaz, and Kylie held their ground, using their combined skills to keep Harper pinned down and prevent her from escaping.
"GO!" Yaz yelled.
One of the Paladins focused on Yaz, taking aim with its plasma cannons. Kylie fired off a few rounds to force its aim away from the soldier and, like the predictable machine it was, it fell for the trap. The first Paladin marched towards her, snapping its retractable fists into place and getting ready to smash the Osmosian.
Either the pilot inside that thing knew nothing about her powers, was just stupid, or there was no pilot and the mech was going on automated mode. No matter the reason, Kylie quickly turned to gas and let the massive mecha just throw a few punches at mist.
Blake fired off some shots at the second Paladin, drawing its ire towards the black and yellow duo. They looked to each other and nodded, already knowing what to do when it came to giant mechs.
With the mechs distracted, that left Harper to face off against Penny.
Harper and Penny faced off against each other, their weapons clashing with metallic clangs. Their movements were fast and calculated, each trying to find an opening in the other's defense.
"You've gone too far, Harper!" Penny said, her voice tinged with sadness, "This isn't the way to bring about change. We can find a better way!"
"Were you just built naive?" Harper spat.
Penny's expression hardened, and she increased her attack, using her precision and speed to land swift strikes with her sword. "I was built to believe in the best of humanity, to protect people and fight for justice!" She retorted.
Harper parried Penny's attacks skillfully, her years of experience evident in her movements. "And yet you serve Ironwood, who is willing to sacrifice innocent lives and use fear to maintain his control over Atlas. You're just a tool in his arsenal, Penny. Think about it! What man displays his military fleet at a festival meant to celebrate peace? Isn't that when YOU came into the limelight?"
Penny's expression faltered for a moment, as if struck by Harper's words.
The traitorous lieutenant smirked as her words provided an opening. She leapt in towards Penny, hoping to take advantage of that momentary lapse, but before her strike could even get close, one last shot from a familiar sniper rang out.
Harper didn't have time to block, caught unaware as she was, so she was knocked to the side across the metal floor. She jabbed one of her arm-blades into the floor to slow herself down, her Aura flickering from the hit. The former handler looked up to see Ruby pulling back on the bolt-lever of Crescent Rose with a determined look on her face.
"Was about to head off, but I heard what you said…" Ruby said, "Thought I'd give you one last shot to the side for being a bitch! And Penny? Don't listen to her. She just wants to mess with you. Remember what I said to you? Back in Vale?"
"That...I have a heart and soul!" Penny said, shaking away the doubts Harper put in her head.
"There ya go! Now, kick her ass!"
"Yes! I will kick her...that!" Penny declared.
With renewed determination, Penny moved with blinding speed, her swords slicing through the air with deadly precision. Harper, caught off guard by Penny's sudden burst of power, struggled to keep up with the barrage of attacks.
Harper parried and dodged as best as she could, but Penny's onslaught was relentless. The floating swords danced around her, creating a whirlwind of metal that forced Harper to constantly defend herself. Despite her skill and experience, she found herself being pushed back, unable to land a solid counterattack.
With her inspirational speech given, Ruby quickly dashed off to join up with the others. Weiss was leading the way again, rapier at the ready in case there are any other guards on this level. There had to be another elevator on this level, surely. There wouldn't just be one elevator into a fort this big.
While Penny and Harper were engaged in their duel, Yang, Blake, Yaz, and Kylie were forced to contend with the mechs before they help their android friend. The orange-painted Paladin snapped its retractable fists into place and locked onto its targets, focusing the black and yellow duo. The one sporting a Locus-themed paintjob activated its plasma weapons and took aim at Yaz and Kylie, a collection of laser sights scattering over the two.
"Alright, fine by me," Yang smirked, loading some fresh explosive shells into her gauntlets. Been awhile since she used the real explosive rounds and not just the sticky grenades, but they should pack enough punch to break through a Paladin's armor. The blonde then taunted the pilot of the mech to come and get them and they, of course, fell for it. The massive mech rushed towards the duo at full speed, rearing its arms back, ready to smash both of them onto these two interlopers. When the metal fists came crashing down, Blake used her Semblance to form a stony clone that shattered upon impact while Yang just tanked the fist, crossing both of her arms in front of her.
"What the hell..." the pilot muttered inside the cockpit. A few pistol shots rang out, sparking against the mech's central body and taking the pilot's focus away from Yang for the moment. The screen's viewpoint changed to focus on Blake and the pilot, without letting up the pressure on Yang, activated one of the modifications that Felix wanted for the Paladin. Instead of shoulder-mounted rocket pods, the massive mech now sported a giant turret that began tracking Blake. The barrels charged up with bright blue plasma energy before firing off a barrage that kept Blake at bay. The feline Faunus dodged out of the way of the shots, taking any opportunity to fire back that she could.
Yang wasn't forgotten about though. The mech began pummeling her, punch after punch striking against her crossed arms. She just needed a bit of a strength boost to deal with this thing quickly and this was the best way to do it. Her Aura flared up as each punch landed, but the kinetic energy behind each one was absorbed and funneled back into her own reservoir of force.
Come on, just a bit more, Yang thought to herself, her eyes shifting to a crimson hue.
A few more punches later, and Yang finally retaliated. 20 or so punches weren't enough to knock Yang, a 5'10" girl down. But ironically, one punch was enough to destroy the entire mech.
Yang's impact caused every component and gear in the mech to crumble, the glass to shatter and some of the limbs to explode off the body. Yang smirked.
Nice.
The pilot was left in total shock inside the wrecked cockpit.
"What the hell are they..." he muttered as the screens cracked and sparked.
Meanwhile, Yaz and Kylie raced to find cover as the Locus-themed Paladin opened fire with everything it had. Both shoulder mounted turrets fired off a barrage of energy shots as the main cannons began charging up some more devestating shots.
Kylie and Yaz ducked for cover. Kylie pulled out her pistol, and hissed. Need to break that thing down. Luckily...I know how I can. Kylie pulled out a strange bullet- this one was an empty shell. She took a deep breath.
Just get angry for a second.
Yaz peeked out from behind what cover she found and opened fire, hoping to at least distract if not disable the shoulder turrets. The bullets bounced off the thick armor plating the machine sported, drawing its fire. The double agent ducked behind cover again as the barrage focused entirely on her now. Just like she wanted.
Kylie noticed that, seeing she now had enough time to focus on her anger. She thought about all of those people the orbs had affected, the people in Dormir and Crossed, the people who had lost their homes and loved ones, all so Thornmane could push an anti-Ironwood agenda. That same black smoke began to rise off of her body, but before it could truly spill out and begin eating away at the metal in the room, she channeled it into the empty casing. The bullet quickly filled up with corrosive mist, turning a normal bullet into the perfect mech-killer.
Kylie quickly got out of her hiding spot, and aimed the bullet. The mech pilot didn't even notice her-
Annihilator Ammo. Kylie thought, pulling the trigger. SURE SHOT!
The bullet fired off and, while it didn't penetrate the armor too deeply, it didn't need to. Upon impact, the corrosive mist was released and began eating away at the metal. The pilot's screens began blaring with an integrity warning as the mist seeped in and began corroding the internal components.
"W-what the hell is going on? Don't tell me this crap is defective-!" The pilot cursed, as the tech inside started to dissolve and rust. Kylie lined up her next shot, this time loading up with ice dust.
"Bang." Kylie smirked, firing. The bullet instantly froze the cockpit, trapping the pilot inside.
The ice crystals shot in through the gaps in the cockpit's hatch, basically spelling out the pilot's defeat. On the outside, the mech's legs gave way and the rest of the hulking machine clattered to the ground, nothing more than a rusted heap now.
Yaz stared in disbelief. "You did that with two bullets!?"
Kylie blinked. "...Yeah?" She so desperately wanted to say 'what, like it's hard?' but that was too mean.
"Are you sure none of you are also rejected Ace-Ops?"
"I mean technically Rex was, he just hangs out with us more no-" Kylie began, only to be interrupted by Penny thudding against the wall. The traitorous lieutenant smirked as she readied her armblades to end Mantle's protector.
Penny's array spun around her body, and pointed themselves at Harper's body. "That was a very lucky strike! Not many can do that."
"At the end of the day, you're still just a machine. A very well built one, granted, but a machine nonetheless," Harper smirked.
"You think that will still rattle me? I'm afraid that's a bit outdate now. Besides, being an android does have its perks."
"Like what?" the turncoat asked.
"I've noticed your back-up's, quite literally, fallen apart."
Harper's eyes widened as she spun to check, only to be met with Yang and Kylie already on her. She had just enough time to bring up her own weapons block the incoming strikes of Ember Celica and True Rebel. Axe and gauntlet clashed with armblades in a flurry of sparks. No matter what kind of opening one of them thought they had, Harper was able to quickly adapt and cover it. The formerly loyal lieutenant quickly turned the tables on the two assailants, slashing at them with precise and powerful strikes. The only reason her focus was broken was because of Penny and Blake working together. The feline Faunus hooked Gambol Shroud around one of Floating Array's blades and Penny actually let the cable holding the blade disconnect. With a quick flick of the wrist, Blake threw the Floating Array blade at Harper, managing to graze her back.
Harper yelled, as she stumbled forward. She glared back at Blake, who was still spinning Gambol Shroud. She tossed it, hooking the weapon around a pipe above to swing at Harper with full force.
Harper spun around to block the swing, letting her blades take the brunt of the force. She staggered back from the hit, but quickly regained her footing. She smirked as her eyes suddenly shifted from their olive hue to a deep crimson. Blake's eyes widened as everything started to line up. There was still one mystery about this whole thing that didn't have an answer.
How did Team BRIR have footage of Ruby's Semblance breaking in?
The answer was staring her in the face. Harper's Semblance let her copy others, it had to be. She switched to a more long range fighting style before looking to the group's blonde brawler.
"Yang...how much punishment can your Semblance take before your Aura gets low?" Blake asked.
"A lot more than you'd think." Yang smirked.
Blake looked back at Harper. "I'll keep her distracted, while you go on hyper offense. Sound good?"
"Sounds great." Yang rushed at Harper, reloading her gauntlets.
Harper actually raised her brow at that. She was actually rushing at her? For all she knew, her own Semblance was being used against her here, and she was just going for it?
Yang began throwing punches at her imposter. Chances are...she can only replicate at a basic level. As a rookie, I couldn't hold a 'burn' for more than a few seconds!
Harper brought up her blades and let Yang's fists slam against them, metal ringing from each successive hit. Much to Yang's surprise though, Harper didn't seem to gain strength from the hits. Nothing really backed up that theory, but that did give the blonde brawler an opening. Her punches began to pick up speed, the ringing of metal getting faster and faster. Harper's eyes went wide. Something must've given her away! Yang smirked, seeing that look of concern spread across Harper's face. That was all she needed. Her eyes turned red and her hair ignited, becoming a roaring inferno. Harper's eyes flickered from red to their olive color, her Semblance giving way.
"Gotcha!" Yang grinned. With one last powerful jab, infused with Burn's power, she broke through one of Harper's arm blades, snapping the weapon neatly in two. Harper's concern only grew in that brief second before Yang's other fist connected with her stomach. The turncoat lieutenant was bashed into the air and punched in the face, sending her crashing into the wreckage of one of the Paladins, thudding onto the disconnected arm as her Aura flickered.
"She didn't use Burn?" Kylie asked.
"More like she couldn't," Yang reasoned, "Her Semblance isn't copying the powers, its copying the effects. She wanted to throw us off, mess with our strategy by thinking she had my Semblance."
"A misdirection can turn the tides in her favor. Make us think we need to adapt a new strategy that doesn't work with how she'll actually fight," Yaz said, taking aim at Harper.
"That's how BRIR thought it was. Harper was the one who broke in here!" Blake pieced together.
"Under Thornmane's...orders. Took a bit to find this place, but once I did...it was so easy to move right in," Harper finished, shakily getting back to her feet.
"You really wanna go another round?" Yang asked.
"I still have one weapon left, don't I?"
A green flash quickly shone behind Harper, much to her relief. She'd seen the portals enough time to realize what this meant.
"Correction," Harper smirked, "Looks like I have four others."
Bianca stepped through the portal, taking her place next to Harper, a hand already gripping the blade of her prismatic blade. Harper was about to race back into the fight when she suddenly found Cause at her neck.
"Who said I was on your side?" Bianca smirked.
"...they told you then?" Harper asked.
"They did. Pieced things together...and now we're going to make up for being tricked by you. So, if you're smart...you'd lower that little sword of yours."
Harper sneered but sighed, the blade retracting into her vambrace.
"How did you know-?" Blake began.
"That USB miiiiight have also let me see your Aura tracker. I'll get rid of it once we're done here," the leader of the mercenary team shrugged.
"Lemme guess. Roane's up top dealing with the thugs?" Yang asked.
"Her specialty."
Back above ground, Fetch slashed the head of another rogue Knight off its chassis, the stump's exposed wires sparking before the machine clattered to the ground.
"How many is that for you?" Marrow asked, turning to see Elm. Three robotic heads were knocked off their heads like golf balls, all from a single swing of Timber. The muscle of the Ace-Ops then slammed her hammer down on what looked like an already defeated droid, crushing its back like a tin can.
"About thirty-five before! Now, thirty-nine! Counting the one that played dead here as a new one!"
"That's cheating!"
"No, it's not! Incoming, 6 o'clock!" Elm warned. A few gunshots rang out, forcing Marrow to go on the defensive and block some of the oncoming fire with his giant boomerang. At least five AK-130s were marching towards him, their arms either in machine gun or arm-blade mode.
"Just what I need to even the score" Marrow smirked, "STAY!" He snapped his fingers and froze the robots in place. He wound up for a throw, getting ready to let his weapon fly, but a stream of fire seemed to erupt from nowhere and incinerate all five of them. Roane blew away some of the smoke from her flamethrower's barrel, much to Marrow's annoyance.
"What- who even-?!" the canine Faunus stammered.
"Don't worry about the 'who!' Just know I'm on your side, so don't shoot me!" Roane scoffed before running off to the next group of robots.
"...won't say no to the help, but would it hurt to not steal my opponents?" Marrow muttered before dodging a shot from one of the rogue soldiers.
Unfortunately for the Outcasts that remained, at this point Weiss, Ruby, Ben, Rex and Ceres, there were other guards down there. The good news, though, was that they were mostly cannon fodder, soldiers and robots. They didn't even stop to fight them properly. Before the next fight could properly start, Ben hopped out of Ruby's hood. His timing was perfect as, by the time he landed, he had transformed into Wildmutt again.
If that cape got torn because of a transformation, Ruby would've killed him.
Either way, the Outcasts landed one hit KO's on all the enemies in their way. Ben used Wildmutt's fangs and claws to rip through the mechanical soldiers as if they were made of paper. Vines erupted from between the metal tiles on the floor to ensnare some of the human fighters, courtesy of Weiss. Rex slammed aside human and android alike with Block Party. Ceres made the guards fold with well-placed punches and Ruby did what she did best, race past and cut them down.
"There, I can see it!" Ceres yelled, pointing out the next elevator. Just as they were about to reach it, a barrage of heavy machine gun fire rang out. Rex jumped in front of the group and blocked the bullets with his energy shields.
"And would you look at that," the familiar cocky voice said as he stepped out from behind a corner. "I was right!"
"What? That we'd show up to kick your asses into a cell?" Rex asked.
"Oh, no, that was a given. Well, a given that you'd try. I made a bet with Locus that you guys'd show up with only some of your little circle. Rest is back there fighting Harper, huh?" Felix smirked. He already knew the answer.
"Guys...go," Rex said.
"You are not fighting them by yourself," Weiss said.
"And you need as much manpower as you can to take down Thornmane. Just go!"
Reluctantly, Ben, Weiss, Ruby, and Ceres nodded and quickly made their way towards the elevator, leaving Rex to face off against Felix and any other threats that may have been lurking nearby.
"So. Where's your jolly green friend?" Rex taunted. "Come on, Locus. Stab me in the back or something to say you're here..."
As if on cue, Locus appeared from behind a nearby pillar, holstering a shotgun to his back with a magnetic clamp.
"Picking up on your opponents' strengths and weaknesses. Your tactical mindset's getting better," he said, his voice cold and unwavering, "That means we can ignore the theatrics, fight normally. Face to face."
Rex grinned, fists forming into the Smack Hands. "Gladly."
"Ya know. I'm not sure which it is," Felix said, drawing a knife from its sheath and starting to toss it in his hand, "Do you think they can take Thornmane? Or do you think you can take us? By yourself?"
"It has to be one or the other?" Rex countered.
"Eh, that tracks for you," Felix shrugged before he started things off. After one last catch, Felix threw the dagger towards Rex, but only bounced off the heavy metal of the Smack Hands. The two traitors rushed in from both sides, hoping to cover for the other's weaknesses.
Rex blocked a few strikes from the orange-armored turncoat before sidestepping a jab from Locus. The green-clad sniper turned on a dime and brought out a disc-shaped device with a purple glowing slit in the middle of it. He chucked the disc like a grenade and Rex went to block it, exactly what Locus wanted. The disc latched onto Rex's Smack Hand with four spikes that dug into the metal. Purple circuitry lines slithered their way up that arm before the orange metal suddenly exploded off of the Ace-Op's arm.
Rex stumbled back, surprised by the sudden explosion, and found himself momentarily disoriented. The two traitors took advantage of his confusion and charged in for a double attack. Felix lunged forward with his knife while Locus swung his sword in a wide arc, but Rex managed to regain his footing just in time to dodge their strikes. He retaliated with a powerful punch, sending Felix flying into a nearby wall. Locus, however, was ready and parried Rex's attack with ease.
"You're good," Locus said, a hint of respect in his voice. "But not good enough to take on both of us."
"Yeah? Well...maybe I should switch it up." Rex grinned.
Rex focused his thoughts, the nanites within his body to reconfigure his build. The Smack Hands faded away, replaced by the Dragon's Breath, a giant and deadly flamethrower-like weapon.
"That's new." Felix said. With a flick of his wrist, Rex activated the weapon, igniting a burst of flames that roared towards Felix and Locus.
The two soldiers dodged out of the way, Felix rolling behind some crates while Locus brought out his pistol and began taking pot shots at the Ace-Op. The good news was that there wasn't any obvious fuel tank that Locus could hit to just blow it up. He brought out a second disc and tossed it, but Rex caught on quick and turned his flames on the disc. The device exploded in the stream of flames before the Ace-Op turned it back on Locus.
The green armored elite dove behind a metal pillar to avoid being roasted in his armor. Felix smirked behind his cover and drew out his own disc device. He dashed up behind Rex and tried throwing a punch to the back of the nanite-user's head. Rex ducked under the swing and spun around, slamming the body of the flamethrower into Felix's gut, making him double over for a minute. Rex went for another swing but the swing was too slow. Felix managed to plant the device on the underside of the barrel and the Dragon's Breath shattered to pieces.
"Oh, I'm sorry, new toy and I just broke it," Felix smirked. He immediately launched into a combo of punches, kicks, and dagger swings, managing to land a considerable amount of hits on Rex. Locus emerged from his pillar and raced into the fight as well once he heard the flamethrower's destruction.
Rex stumbled back, trying to avoid the flurry of attacks from both traitors. He could feel the bruises forming on his body from the impact of each hit, but he refused to let them slow him down. He knew he had to think fast before things got worse.
Rex focused his nanites and formed the Fightsaber, a weapon he had developed specifically for close-range combat. The metallic, glowing blue blade hummed to life, illuminating the dimly-lit area. Felix and Locus exchanged a look of surprise, but didn't let their guard down. They knew Rex had a few tricks up his sleeve, but they were confident in their own abilities to take him down.
"Strike me down, and I'll become more powerful than you'll EVER imagine." Rex declared.
"Real clever, Obi-Wan," Felix rolled his eyes, "I doubt we'll get haunted by your ghost afterwards."
"Hey, you never know."
Rex took advantage of their momentary confusion and lunged forward, swinging the Fightsaber in a wide arc. Felix and Locus managed to dodge out of the way, but Rex pressed his attack, pushing them back towards a nearby wall. Felix went for a stab with his knife, but Rex parried the attack with ease and countered with a quick strike from the Fightsaber. The blade cut through the knife with ease.
"RIP, bozo!" Rex yelled.
Felix stumbled back, momentarily stunned by the loss of his weapon. Locus seized the opportunity to launch a counter-attack, firing off a round from his pistol that grazed Rex's arm. Rex winced in pain but managed to stay on his feet, swinging the Fightsaber again in a furious arc. Locus dodged the strike but stumbled backwards, tripping over a crate and crashing to the ground.
Felix took out two of the purple discs and activated them. This kid's move set was completely reliant on those builds of his. It was honestly complete luck that the duo had stumbled upon these little technological marvels. Even Thornmane didn't know about them originally. Felix rushed in and threw one of them at Rex, but the Ace-Op swung the Fightsaber and cleaved the device in half. Sparks flew from the interior wires and Rex smirked in triumph, before a searing pain jolted through his entire body.
Felix used the distraction of the first disc to flank Rex, get in close, and plant the second device right on his opponent's back. The purple circuitry lines snaked out from the origin point, going across his back, reaching his shoulders and then snaking down his arms.
"Huh, didn't think that would work," Felix said, kicking Rex to the floor to add insult to injury, "Wonder what this'll do to ya if I leave that on."
Rex's eyes widened as he recognized the telltale purple circuitry lines. "Black Knight's tech..." He could feel the nanites in his body trying to fight off the foreign technology, but it was a losing battle. The circuitry was spreading quickly, and he could feel his limbs starting to seize up.
Felix smirked down at Rex, "What's the matter, kid? Can't handle a little bit of our tech? Looks like you're not so invincible after all."
Locus chuckled, "It's funny how quickly things can change. Just a few minutes ago, you were the one in control, and now look at you."
"Oh would you...shut...up!" Rex yelled, trying to get back on his feet, but he couldn't. His body felt like it was burning from the inside out.
"Oh and...who'd you say this tech belongs to? Black Knight?" Felix asked, "Maybe it's an alias for him..."
"W-wait...Black Knight's...a she..."
"Huh. So we know two different Black Knights. Well, since it looks like your time might be running out, lemme let you in on a little secret," the orange-clad turncoat knelt down to be at eye-level with Rex, "No one gave us that tech. We found it right here. Invented by one Caesar Salazar from what I read."
"W-who?!" Rex yelled.
"You heard me. Ceasar Salazar-"
Felix paused.
"Oooooooooh. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH. That's fucking hilarious!"
"My...my..." Rex muttered, the pain starting to increase in intensity.
"Oh that is the perfect case of fucking irony, that is!" Felix laughed. "Done in by your own brother's tech! That is perfect!"
Letting Felix enjoy the irony, Locus walked right up to Rex and leveled his pistol at the Ace-Op's head. His finger was on the trigger, ready to squeeze and end this in one swift shot.
"If it's any consolation," Locus said, "this'll be quick, at least."
Rex didn't respond, too taken aback by the revelation. Locus was about to take the shot, but the sudden crack of a whip knocked the pistol out of Locus' hand.
"The he-?!" Felix began, before he was knocked into with a double-uppercut from within the very ground.
"Gotcha, bitch!" Ruda smirked.
Rex breathed a sigh of relief at the unexpected arrival of the unexpected help. The circuitry lines on his body were starting to fade, and the pain was receding. He struggled to his feet, still feeling a bit weak, but grateful to be alive.
"Starting to see why Ben didn't arrest you..." Rex coughed.
Ruda chuckled. "Yeah, we can be a bit...unpredictable." She glanced at the two traitors. "I didn't hear everything, but...Jesus."
"Just the two of you?" Locus asked, shaking the pain in his hand away.
"Hey, we'll only need two of us," Ivy smirked.
Rex leaned against a nearby crate, taking a moment to catch his breath and let the adrenaline fade. Ruda and Ivy had already jumped into action, trading blows with Locus and Felix. Rex watched as Ivy dodged a punch from Felix and countered with a whip crack to his face. Ruda, on the other hand, was engaging in a close-quarters fight with Locus, her agility allowing her to dodge his attacks and land several of her own with her drills.
The revelation that this...Caesar Salazar might have created the technology that was used against him left him with more questions than answers. "Caesar... if he's really my brother, why would he create something like this?" Rex asked himself out loud, still trying to process the information.
Rex huffed, shaking his head. No room for questioning this stuff right now. Need to take down these dirty freelancers now. Might as well treat them to some of the new stuff I've been cooking up, he thought to himself, a plan already in mind.
Rex's hands lit up, before they morphed into two massive scissors. He smirked, before rushing back into battle.
Ruda and Ivy had paired off, the former dealing with Felix and the latter contended with Locus. Ruda was the perfect person to get under the talkative turncoat's skin. Whenever he tried to land a hit on her, she just dove into the ground with her Semblance. Each missed hit only served to frustrate the orange armored former-soldier even more. As for Ivy, she was handling herself pretty well against Locus. Shotgun blasts rang out, cutting through the air to try and hit the whip-wielder, but her portals appeared in front of her to swallow up the buckshot and release it towards a pillar or an empty box.
"Are you gonna actually fight me or are we just playing whack-a-bitch here?!" Felix snarled, his latest punch having whiffed as Ruda dove back into the ground.
"Whack-a-bitch? Seriously? That's the best you could come up with?" Ruda taunted. Felix spun around on a dime and flung two of his knives at her, faster than she'd anticipated. While the first one missed, thanks to an easy sidestep, the second managed to slip past her guard and stab into her shoulder. She cried out in pain, her bright orange Aura flickering from the hit.
"Intentionally bad," Felix chuckled, as he took aim with a spare pistol, "One trick ponies like you get predictable after a bit."
Before the soldier of fortune could pull the trigger, Rex's giant scissor build snipped the weapon in half, letting the front half of the gun clatter to the ground.
"Giant. Scissors," Felix deadpanned, "How threatening."
"Yeah. Try not being scared when I snip you into a cute little snowflake." Rex snarked. He thrust forward, as Felix sidestepped the attack. Felix retaliated with his guns, twisting them sideways for 'emphasis'.
"And we'll see who's laughing when I shoot a few bullets through your head." Felix taunted.
The mercenary then used the opening to land a few quick jabs to Rex's face. The nanite-wielder managed to shove him away, before trying to grapple Felix between the two massive scissor blades. Thinking quickly, the orange-clad hired gun used some of his Hard Light Dust to create a barrier to stop the blades. The construct forced the blades to stay open, despite all of the force Rex was putting behind the blades. He smirked behind his helmet before ducking under and sweeping the nanite-user's legs out from under him. The soldier of fortune was about to follow up the move with a stab to Rex's chest, but Ruda came in for the save. One of her giant arm drills bashed into Felix's head with an audible metallic ring. The quick hitter of Team BRIR then followed up her sucker punch with a non-stop barrage of strikes. Felix still had his barrier on hand, though, so he used the Hard Light to try and block the drills from impaling him, but even his shield had a limit.
Rex thrust forward, instantly shattering the shield and piercing through Felix's armor to hit his chest. Didn't penetrate deep enough, but it did HURT.
"FUCK!" Felix cursed.
"Teamwork, jackass!" Ruda grinned.
"How's THAT feel, smart ass?" Rex smirked.
As for Locus, Ivy's whip lashed out and wrapped around his shotgun, putting the two in a powerful tug of war. The green mercenary put all of his strength behind his pull, as did Ivy.
"Pretty strong for someone so frail looking." Locus muttered.
"And you're a colossal bitch for someone so armed to the teeth." Ivy snapped back, pressing a trigger on her weapon. Suddenly, the thorns on the weapon lit up, beeping like crazy.
Locus raised a brow under his helmet, but he wasn't about to fall for this. He tossed aside the shotgun, sacrificing it, before diving out of the way of what he believed to be a devastating attack. He hadn't actually seen Ivy use this function of her whip before, so better safe than sorry.
Ivy smirked, before she started whipping her weapon around like crazy. She was totally unapproachable with how hard she was swinging. No shot Locus lined up could make it.
Locus could only back up as the thorny whirlwind got closer and closer. Felix, meanwhile, managed to rip the scissor blades from his chest and shove Ruda and Rex back with a Hard Light shield bash. He staggered back to meet up with his partner, his hand covering the wound in his chest.
"How bad is it?" Locus asked.
"Well they didn't hit my heart, so that's good. But it fucking stings," Felix answered, "Dunno if-"
"Then we've bought him enough time."
Rex frowned. "You talking about your boss?"
Locus looked less than amused. "Why defend Ironwood? He's the reason Atlas in in such a mess, you know. Do you...truly know him, Salazar?"
"After what I've seen here...I don't know if I should be mad at him or this White Knight character, but I can sort that out later. The tech might have been invented by my brother, but you didn't get it from him OR from Arrowfell. So you're gonna tell me how you met the Black Knight."
The two mercenaries shared an uneasy look between them, as if they were debating telling him or not.
"You're scared of her, aren't you?" Rex asked.
"For once, I'll be straight with you. She could kill us. Without a second thought. She probably hates Ironwood more than Thornmane does. She gave us her version of the disruptors as a 'gift,' because she knew we'd fight you," Felix explained.
"Who is she?"
"Fuck if I know. But...at least I know that if we don't kill you, she will," Felix said before he and Locus both pulled flashbangs off their belts and tossed them into the air. The two grenades exploded into a series of bright flashes that blinded the trio.
"NO!" Rex yelled, rushing towards the mercenaries to try and stop them-
But they were gone.
"Brothers damn it," Ivy cursed, "We had them!"
Rex just stared at where they once stood, fists clenched. Yeah, he didn't know his backstory. And it hurt. But who were they to rub salt in the wound?
The remaining four Outcasts had taken the elevator down to the research lab. Considering how far down the four were descending, they could hazard a guess as to what was being worked on in this specific lab. The elevator came to a stop and, when the doors slid open, the four of them found themselves in something much more "casually Atlesian."
Instead of the usual industrial metal and almost factory-like interior that the rest of the fort seemed to sport, this portion of the complex seemed more like the labs back in the city proper. The usual trademark Atlesian white tiles and metal doors lined the hallways on this level, though the walls were actually painted a faded shade of green, to try to give some more color to the place.
"Alright...this is it," Weiss took a deep breath to ready herself for what was to come. She popped open the cylinder to check her Dust supplies. Running low a bit on lightning and ice, the heiress opened up one of the pouches on her belt and took out a fresh vial of both types. She carefully poured some of the powdered Dust into the vials still loaded into the weapon to put them back at full. She nodded and snapped the weapon back into fighting position and gave the cylinder a spin, just out of habit.
"Nowhere for him to go," Ceres said, "Gonna fight like hell."
The group cautiously made their way down the hallway, checking each door they came across for any signs of activity. Most of the labs appeared to be abandoned, with equipment and papers strewn about. But as they approached one door, they could hear a low hum coming from inside.
"This must be it," Ruby whispered, motioning for the others to stay back as she slowly pushed the door open. The room was filled with strange, glowing machines and screens, and in the center of it all was a lone figure hunched over a console.
"...so, you finally came."
"Thornmane," Weiss sneered and readied Myrtenaster.
"Harper's words fell on deaf ears, hm?" the rejected Ace-Op sighed and righted himself. He straightened out his crimson coat before turning away from the console and walking off towards one of the machines.
"Of course they did," Ben answered, "You really think we'd just say 'hey, the vengeful officer's got a point!'"
"I am not vengeful."
"Coulda fooled me," Ruby said, spinning her scythe and getting into a combat ready stance.
"I'll admit...a small part of me wishes I could see the look on Ironwood's face as he's dragged out of office and someone else is put in charge," Thornmane said, placing his hand on the device. Ceres correctly guessed that the device was some kind of generator, maybe for the rest of the security system or just for this level, but she didn't know the precise fuel. But Thornemane was quite familiar with Dust generators.
"And by someone else, you mean yourself right?" Ceres asked.
"Me? No. When Ironwood's seen for what he is, I'll be welcomed back into the military as a proper officer, perhaps even the advisor to James' replacement. From there, I could bring about real change, do what Ironwood's too scared of doing."
"Real change?" Weiss scoffed. "You mean like the kind of change that involves assassinating people?"
Thornmane bristled at the accusation. "That was a necessary sacrifice. The bigger picture always requires sacrifices. You of all people should know that, Schnee."
"Enough," Ben interjected, as he walked over as...some weird blue fish alien. "We're not here to debate morality. We're here to kick your sorry, thorny butt!"
Maybe you shouldn't threaten people when you're a few inches tall and...a walking trout? Ruby thought.
Thornmane laughed at that threat. "You really think you can take me down, all of you?" He stepped away from the generator and turned to face the group. "Tennyson's not even at full power-"
"Actuallllllly." Ben piped up. "I am."
"...huh?"
"Turning into Grey Matter earlier was a blessing in disguise, actually!" Ben said, slapping the Omnitrix. He reverted back to human, and bowed. "Tahdah!"
"You're not random anymore!" Ceres said. "You used Grey Matter to fix the watch, didn't you?"
"Mayyyybe." Ben grinned.
"Ah...certainly something of an advantage for you, isn't it?" Thornmane asked, his hands reaching for the hilts of his own weapons. He pulled two daggers from their sheaths on his belt and spun them in his hands. Ruby and Ben looked at each other when they saw the design of the mastermind's daggers, since they bore a striking resemblance to the weapons Cinder used. Nothing in this plot even remotely hinted at Salem's involvement though and Cinder was killed by Raven during the battle at Haven (as far as they knew, anyway.)
"Was gonna ask if you wanted to do this the easy way, but I guess you've already made up your mind, huh?" Ceres asked.
"I have. Remember, I was still considered for recruitment into the Ace-Ops. And, well, you know how stubborn any one of them can be."
"Then let's not keep you waiting any longer," Weiss said, charging towards Thornmane with Myrtenaster at the ready.
Thornmane met her charge with a smirk, expertly dodging her swings with his daggers. Ceres and Ruby engaged him from the side, with Ceres unleashing a barrage of flames and Ruby using her speed and scythe to try and get a hit in. Ben, meanwhile, had transformed into Blitwolfer. He charged towards Thornmane, letting out a fierce howl. The mastermind smirked and quickly dodged the attack, rolling to the side. As he got back up, he threw one of his daggers towards Ben, but the alien dog easily caught it in his powerful jaws and tossed it aside.
Thornmane held out his hand and activated something in his dagger. Two lines that ran down the length of the hilt glowed purple and the dagger raced through the air back to his hand. The trajectory was definitely off through, as the blade not only tried to slash at Ben from behind, but also at Ruby and Ceres. The werewolf alien dodged out of the way, letting the blade only clip some fur off his arm, while the Huntress and Plumber both parried the blade away with their own weapons.
The dagger seamlessly returned to Thornmane's outstretched hand before he launched into his own assault on Weiss. The curved blades of his daggers turned red with Dust and each strike he made with them trailed an arc of fire in the air. Weiss dodged and wove through the slashes, trying to exploit any opening she could. Of course, the rejected officer was looking for the same thing, only he found his target first.
He let Weiss thrust out with Myrtenaster, but he sidestepped out of the way and connected one dagger to the bottom of the other. The combination transformed into a double-bladed glaive that let Thornmane smack Weiss away with a spin of the weapon. Weiss used her Glyphs to stop herself from flying too far away from him, but then that newly glaive bent in Thornmane's hands. A string of hard light connected the blade tips and let Thornmane conjure a trio of flaming arrows, already knocked and ready to fire. Weiss' eyes widened right as the turncoat fired off the flaming projectiles.
Weiss quickly reacted by creating a Glyph in front of her, using it as a shield to block the flaming arrows. The arrows exploded upon impact, sending a shower of sparks and flames across the floor. Weiss quickly repositioned herself, using her Semblance to create a flurry of ice to cover her movements. Thornmane tracked her movements with ease, his eyes darting back and forth as he tried to predict her next move.
Ceres used the distraction to her advantage, darting in from behind. She fired a series of fireballs at Thornmane. The rejected officer managed to dodge the first few blasts, but one caught him in the shoulder, sending him stumbling backwards.
Ben saw the opportunity and took it. He charged forward, his claws at the ready. Thornmane, still recovering from the hit, barely managed to raise his daggers in time to block Ben's attack. The werewolf alien pushed forward, his strength proving too much for Thornmane to handle.
The double-bladed glaive shattered under the pressure of the attack, leaving the former Ace-Op open for a counterattack. Ruby, seeing Ben's opening, quickly launched herself at Thornmane, her scythe whirling through the air. Thornmane, caught off guard by the sudden change in tactics, stumbled backwards, his daggers clashing against Ruby's scythe.
Ceres continued to fire off blasts of fire, keeping Thornmane on the defensive as Ruby and Ben pressed their attack. The three of them worked in unison, their movements pushing him back and suppressing him.
With all the attacks coming his way, it was hard for Thornmane to get a proper strike in at the Outcasts. But then he remembered. If they kept pushing him back, they'd force him right into one of the Dust generators. The trio were so focused on him that they might not even notice. He banked on that, moving further and further back until he was sure the generator was behind him.
At just the right moment, Thornmane used his Semblance to speed out of the way and avoid Ceres' latest attack. The Archimedian was going to try and punch him out then and there, but with that dodge, she instead hit the glass of the Dust generator. Her eyes went wide as the generator exploded in her face, blasting her full-force with ice Dust.
Ruby and Ben turned to see the explosion and were momentarily stunned, giving Thornmane the chance to make a quick getaway. He raced down the hallway, disappearing around a corner before the Outcasts could even give chase.
Ceres lay on the ground, her body covered in ice. Weiss rushed over to her, using her Semblance to try and melt the ice and revive her friend.
"Is she okay?" Ruby asked, worry etched on her face.
"Ben, give me a hand quickly!" Weiss ordered. Ben nodded and raced over, slapping down on the Omnitrix and transforming into Heatblast. He didn't outright blast Ceres with the flames, even if she could tank quite a bit of heat, but he did turn up the flames to try and thaw through the ice faster.
The heiress looked over her shoulder more than once during the process, her mind jumping back and forth between saving Ceres and taking down Thornmane. If he got away now, what was to say that he wouldn't try this again? Escape with the orbs and launch another attack? Or, worst case scenario, he finds one of Salem's agents and makes a deal with them on the orbs.
Weiss gritted her teeth, focusing on thawing out Ceres as quickly as possible. "Ruby, can you stay with her for a few?" she said, looking up at Ben. "We can't let him escape with those orbs."
"I'm with you," Ben replied. "What's the plan?"
"I...I don't know," Weiss admitted, "...but when has that ever stopped us?"
"I mean fair but-"
"Taking a page out of your book and I'll think of something on the fly, ok?"
Ben looked back at Ruby, who was wrapping her cloak around Ceres' body. Ben pursed his lips to think. "Well, if Ruby and I were in this scenario..." Ben slapped down the Omnitrix. The green and black liquid metal alien stretched his arms out, taking a moment to analyze the situation.
"Then I'd get you an upgrade." Ben zoomed towards Weiss' weapon. The weapon's intricate gears and mechanisms glowed with green energy as Upgrade interfaced with it.
Weiss watched in amazement as Myrtenaster transformed before her eyes. The blade elongated, splitting into three separate segments that could extend and contract at will. The hilt expanded, with buttons and levers appearing. Ben's head stretched out of the weapon.
"Heya." Ben said.
"I'm fine with this for now." Weiss huffed.
"Great! Then let's go!"
Weiss nodded and gave Ruby one last look that was easily read as "We'll come back, I promise." Ruby nodded back, knowing that they would. It was her boyfriend and her team leader after all. Thornmane didn't stand a chance. With that, Weiss raced off the turncoat, following the same route he should have taken. She and Ben passed by a few more abandoned labs before they eventually caught up to the traitor. It was an underground landing platform with one Manta situated in the middle. Considering there wasn't any obvious hangar doors, this platform must rise up and open to the air above.
"THORNMANE!" Weiss called out, leveling her Upgraded rapier at the turncoat. He didn't even acknowledge her as he simply slid into the pilot's seat of the airship and began prepping for launch. The platform beneath them thundered with mechanical movements and soon after, it began to rise.
"How powerful can you make fire Dust shots now?" Weiss asked.
"Very," Ben smirked. With that, the heiress spun the cylinder and had it click to a stop on the crimson vial. Flames roared between the trio of blades that Ben had given her weapon before they morphed and condensed into a single sphere the size of a basketball.
Weiss smirked and shifted her aim a bit, firing off the shot at the Manta's wing. Thornmane sighed before he tossed one of his daggers towards the fireball and let the blade cut right through the flaming sphere. The turncoat leapt out of the pilot seat and activated the Dust in both weapons after the first blade returned to his hand. While the flaming sphere missed him, it still hit its real target, the controls for the airship.
"Corner me and cripple my means of escape," Thornmane noted, "How very tactical of you. Were circumstances different and if you were given the proper training, I bet you would've made a fine officer."
Weiss narrowed her eyes at Thornmane's words. She didn't have time to dwell on his backhanded compliment, though. She had to focus on taking him down.
"We don't need your approval, Thornmane," she retorted. With a flick of her wrist, Weiss activated her Semblance and summoned an icy glyph beneath Thornmane's feet, freezing him in place.
Thornmane grunted as the glyph encased his feet in a block of ice. He glared up at Weiss with a scowl, but she just leveled her Upgraded rapier at him, ready to strike.
"Impressive," Thornmane admitted, "But this isn't over yet." With a flick of his wrist, he tossed one of his daggers at Weiss, aiming for her weapon hand.
A second Glyph appeared in the air around the dagger, grabbing it in a gravity hold as the symbol turned black. With the other dagger still in his possession, Thornmane jabbed the block of ice keeping him restrained and shattered it with a burst of flame. He held out his hand, activating the gravity Dust that had been sewn into his gloves.
Usually, that is what would bring the weapon back to his hand, with some subtle kinetic manipulations thanks to his Semblance, but here, he was hoping on the opposite. Because the dagger was held in place by a stronger pull, the Dust in the glove pulled him closer. He was pulled across the platform in an instant, right to the hilt of the dagger. He grabbed hold of it and activated the flame bursts on both blades, shattering the Glyph into black pieces. With her shield gone, the heiress was open to Thornmane's assault.
The shorter, curved blades of the daggers clashed against the thinner, but more precise triple-blades of the Upgraded Myrtenaster in a flurry of sparks and flaming arcs. Ben had the triple blades open up wider, giving Thornmane an opening and he took the bait. Right before Thornmane's blade could reach Weiss, the blades snapped shut like a face and caught the flaming dagger.
"Gotcha," Ben taunted.
Weiss took the opportunity and summoned a black Glyph beneath her. With a flick of the wrist, the Glyph actually launched the heiress into the air, wrenching the dagger free of the turncoat's grasp.
Thornmane stumbled back, surprised by Weiss' sudden move. But he quickly regained his composure and charged forward, blades at the ready. Weiss was ready for him, though. She had been training with Blake for months now and her reflexes had improved greatly.
With a series of quick parries and strikes, Weiss managed to push Thornmane back, forcing him to defend himself. She could see the frustration on his face as he struggled to break through her defenses.
"Is this all you've got?" Weiss taunted, twirling her Upgraded Myrtenaster in a show of confidence.
Thornmane gritted his teeth and lunged forward, his blades aimed at Weiss' chest. But Weiss was one step ahead of him. She sidestepped his attack and brought her rapier down on his wrist, disarming him.
Thornmane stumbled back, clutching his injured wrist. He knew he had to change his strategy. He couldn't keep playing defensively like this. He needed to take the heiress down quickly.
With a fierce determination, Thornmane switched to a hyper offense, launching a barrage of quick and unpredictable strikes at Weiss. His daggers moved with a deadly grace, forcing Weiss to constantly retreat and dodge. She was quickly pushed onto the defensive.
Thornmane could see the fear in Weiss' eyes as she struggled to keep up with his attacks. He was getting closer and closer to landing a fatal blow. Thornmane saw his chance and quickly swapped his daggers for his bow, pulling back the string and firing a volley of arrows at Weiss. The heiress was caught off guard, having not expected Thornmane to switch to a ranged attack. She had to think fast.
Summoning a white Glyph beneath her, Weiss used it to create a thin, almost invisible shield that was just enough to deflect the arrows as they came flying towards her. She could feel the strain of the impact vibrating through the shield and into her arm, but she held on, determined not to let Thornmane win.
Thornmane smirked as he could see the projectiles make quite the dent in that defense. The conspiracy's mastermind reached to his belt and pulled out a trio of Dust crystals. The first of them, dark orange in coloration, gets slammed into the blades of the bow. He pulled back on the hard light string and began to let loose a barrage of earthen spire projectiles. One after another of the stones slammed into the shield until it shattered, forcing Weiss to stumble back.
As soon as the shield shattered, the remaining two Dust crystals were slammed together before being loaded into the bow. The yellow and purple mixed together to form a darker violet or mauve color. The next projectile was one that didn't really have a defined shape, more an unstable line of pure, rippling energy. He fired off the bolt at the floor of the landing platform, creating what might as well have been a small gravity well. Then he fired a second bolt at the Upgraded Myrtenaster, landing the hit and surrounding the weapon with an aura of the same rippling energy. Ben looked around at the weapon as both him and the sword began to shake.
"Uh, Weiss?!" Ben yelled, before Myrtenaster was pulled from her hand and towards the well. Weiss immediately recognized the effect, a Dust combination of gravity and lightning. Magnet Dust.
"HOLD ON!" Weiss gritted her teeth as she saw her weapon being pulled towards the gravity well. With a quick motion, she summoned a glyph beneath her feet and launched herself back.
Thornmane fired off a few more magnetic arrows at her weapon, hoping to disarm her. Once that was done, he'd be ready go in for the kill. Fitting that the Ice Queen would be finished off by a flaming arrow. Poetic, really. The rejected officer just needed all her defenses gone.
Ben poked his head out of Myrtlenaster. "Oooooh, not this time." With a quick burst of energy, Ben fired off two Dust beams, one of ice and one of fire, directly at Thornmane's arrows. The arrows were either frozen or incinerated.
The ice beam hit the ground beneath Thornmane, causing the area around him to freeze solid. He tried to move, but found his feet stuck in place. The fire beam hit the ice, causing it to evaporate and leaving behind a cloud of steam. The steam provided them with some cover, making it difficult for Thornmane to see.
But he didn't really need to see. He was at least familiar with Ben's aliens at a basic level. Not all of them sure, but he knew Upgrade. He ejected the mauve magnetic Dust from his bow and slapped in a new lightning crystal. The edges of the bow glowed with that trademark electric yellow before he jumped atop the Manta.
He pulled back on the hard light string, creating a bolt of pure lightning that he then fired into the cloud. He hadn't seen any sign of movement, nor did he care to stop and look. The bolt didn't even make contact with the ground, instead bursting and electrocuting the entire smokescreen, turning it into an improvised lightning storm.
As the improvised lightning storm erupted, Ben's alien form was momentarily overloaded by the electrical charge, causing him to flicker and distort. Weiss, meanwhile, was thrown back by the force of the blast, her Upgraded Myrtenaster knocked out of her hand and sent flying into the air.
As she stumbled to her feet, Weiss could feel the electricity coursing through her body, making her muscles twitch and spasm uncontrollably. She struggled to regain control, trying to shake off the effects of the blast.
Thornmane watched with satisfaction as the heiress struggled on the ground. "There we go..."
He disconnected the bow into its components and then threw one of his daggers into the ground a distance away from Weiss. With his hand reaching out, he was quickly pulled towards the weapon thanks to that little Dust trick. Once he landed, he pulled the dagger free and recombined the dagger into their glaive mode. The blades ignited with their usual fire as Thornmane walked towards the still stunned heiress.
"W-weiss!" Ben called out, the electricity still messing with his body as well. His voice, when he spoke, sounded like a distorted or interrupted radio transmission, full of static and words being cut off due to the poor connection.
"Apologies Miss Schnee...but if it's any consolation," Thornmane said, taking a quick glance above, "you'll see the sky one last time before you pass on. I can at least grant you that. You've protected this kingdom well," the turncoat raised his glaive above his head, both hands gripping the weapon tightly.
"I'm just sad you decided to be on the wrong side of history."
And with that, he thrust the flaming blade down.